Bottled. Mahogany colour, no head. Port aroma. Very malty, but somehow streamlined. Alcohol is there to add a woody vinous character. The sweetness is relatively balanced, and there is a balsamic soy sauce like Hürlimann/Triple Bock feeling to it. Short, roasty finish. Interesting and very good.

2003 bottle (surprise!). First off, this was very difficult to rate based on the one sample I have had (even though I drank the whole 750 bottle myself). But I will give it a try and will be rerating it soon anyways. Pours a wonderful deep caramel-toffee brown with some darker browns and light orange/red tinges. Small mocha colored head. Nearly opaque, obviously unfiltered and bottle conditioned. Aroma of sweet maple, light coffee, raisins, plums, pine sap, burnt chocolate chip cookies and a nice sour yeast. Flavor begins with a mix of huge sugary malt, dark and caramelized brown sugar meets with light coffee roast, figs, dates, nuts. Very complex so far. Finish really shines the brightest though; it’s a large, but yet not-over-the top amount of german lager yeast, that is pleasingly sour but not too much so. It is strong, and very sweet, but somehow, I was able to pick out enough flavors to really make me enjoy this one. Probably my biggest complaint would be a thinned out body that already has shown signs of oxidation. It’s not a huge problem but is immediately apparent. Little hops apparency and overall a very interesting Extremely stylized doppelbock.

This is a clear amber colored brew with a large frothy head. The aroma has malt with some hops. The flavor was good, but the hop bitterness, flavor and aroma were way off what I expected from an IPA. Good IPA for the non Hop Head or for some one wanting a fair amber ale.

Clear golden amber with some bubbles lifting from the bottom... nice head. Smells mostly malty, with some grapefruity hops underneath. I’d like a bit more of the hop scent to step forward. Taste is definitely hoppy, with a lot less malts than the nose would lead you to believe. It’s a crisp brew, without a doubt, but quite ordinary.

April 2004. Hazy golden ale with floral hops aroma and grapefruits. Wheat beer like mouthfeel with priclkly hops. Light bodied. Thanks to DYCSoccer.

2004 bottle @ Sunset Grill. Pours a moderately deep orange-copper. Very clear with a small lightly yellow tinged white head. Aroma of caramel corn, butter and lightly spicy hops. Flavor is quite sticy, buttery and pretty toffeeish. Good overall flavor of malt with a touch of hops hidden. As it warms, you can taste the light hops on the finish which give a good deal of flavor. Not overly crisp, more sticky and chewy, but at least it had a medium to medium full body which didnt thin out. Pretty tastey.

Huge, orangeish head, collapsing in big holes on clear orange beer. Grapey, flowery hops dominate the nose, with lunaria, nectarine. Pepper and ginger as well. Very hopbitter taste, but bitterness is shortlived, leaving a citrussy, peppery palate. High carbonation and peppery hops combine for a realy stimulating experience at the gums and mouth. Well bodied. Archetypal hoppy IPA. I must confess liking the style...

2004 Draught @ Sunset Grill. Fairly clear light orange with some ambers and yellows. Small off-white head, mostly disippating. Aroma has a touch of light hops and a bit of toasty malt, nothing terribly aromatic. Flaor opens up dry, papery and lightly astringent, toasted malt not balanced with any sweet flavors dries the palate out too much and the light papery hops do not seem to add much. Decent bitter flavor on the finish and as it warms, some lightly sweet malt flavors try to peek through, but overall, it is just a wet textured, medium bodied amber, with very little to get excited about.

Bright, dark amber. Balanced and drinkable. Not as complex as I was expecting. Smooth, dark malt flavours, touch of earthiness, you can tell this has aged a bit as it is already starting to show some sherry notes and any bitterness that might have been there has dropped out.